A New Life Beginning
by leighann415
Summary: What if Roz got pregnant after sleeping with Frasier in "Guilt Trippers?"  Slightly AU.  Please R&R!  :    Posting for my friend Kristen3's birthday.  :
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is a little AU, but not all. I just got this idea in my head when I watched "Guilt Trippers" recently. Thanks as always to Kristen (Kristen3) for all the encouragement & support! I'm posting this as a little birthday present for her. :) Usual disclaimer goes, I don't own the characters or aren't related to _Frasier_ in any way…Please R&R! Hope everyone likes it! :)

Roz stared at the stick in her hand. How could she have let this happen? If it were anybody other than Frasier, then she might've been happy about being pregnant again. It was wonderful thing to be a mother. And she was sure that Alice would love to have a brother or sister, even if only a half-sibling. But, with Frasier as the father, it was all just too weird. She didn't know what to do next. She knew she wasn't alone, but at that moment, it felt like she was the only person in the world. She had to tell Frasier. And she couldn't think of what her parents and everybody in her family would think of her now, raising two kids on her own. Slowly, she laid the stick down on the bathroom sink. She formed a plan in her mind. Whatever happened between her and Frasier, she wasn't getting rid of this baby, this new life growing inside her. She needed to tell somebody. So she thought she'd tell her best friend, Daphne. Maybe between the two of them, they could figure out a way to break it to Frasier, and then eventually to Niles and Martin. She went over to the phone, and began to dial.

**Meanwhile in Hawaii…**

Daphne couldn't take it anymore. She was in Hawaii, supposed to be having the time of her life, but she wasn't with the man she loved, her fiancé. She had to be with her mother, of all people! She wished she could just go back home to Seattle, and in Niles' arms again. She missed him so much, it hurt. She'd never let her phone out of her sight, and was almost relieved every time Niles called her. So, she leapt to the place where her phone sat on a beach chair when she heard it ring, startling her mum half to death.

"Daphne, what are you doing?" Her mum cried out, but Daphne ignored her. Niles was on the other end of the line!

But when she saw Roz's name on the caller ID, her heart sunk. It wasn't Niles after all…She picked up the phone.

"Roz? Hi! You'll never believe how boring this trip has been. I miss Niles so much! I'm jealous you get to see him more than I do right now."

"Daphne…I need to talk to you. Is anyone listening?"

Daphne stopped. She was suddenly worried for Roz. "Well, Mum's here with me. I'll go back to our room. Hold on. I'll call you right back."

Roz waited impatiently while Daphne went back to their room. For the millionth time in about 20 minutes, she felt stupid at what had happened. Why had she let herself get in bed with Frasier? She'll never be able to overcome that, she was sure. What will Frasier think of her now? She hoped she hadn't ruined what they had in their friendship either.

She paced around her room, looking at the phone. _Come on, ring already!_ It couldn't take this long for Daphne to get where she was going.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her phone rang.

"Daphne, thank goodness. I'm going completely crazy here."

Daphne's heart raced. Whatever was up with Roz, it must've been serious. "I'm here now. I just had a hard time trying to dodge Mum and her questions. What's up?"

Roz took a deep breath. "I've done something stupid, Daphne. You know that birthday party we had for you before you left for Hawaii?" She didn't wait for Daphne to answer. "Well, I didn't really want to go home, so I stayed with Frasier for the night. And we…slept together!"

Daphne couldn't believe her ears. Roz & Frasier? She wasn't surprised, really. She'd actually had hoped they'd end up together, two lonely friends who needed each other. Much like her & Niles, really.

"Roz, what's so stupid about that? I think you & Frasier are great together."

"I would think so too. But you haven't heard the worst part. I was feeling off for quite a while after that, so I took a pregnancy test, and Daphne, it was positive. I'm pregnant with Frasier's child!"

Daphne gasped. "Roz, pregnant? First Alice, and now this? Wow. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know…I do know that I'm having this baby, no matter what happens with me & Frasier. I'm so scared to tell him, Daphne. He's going to freak. And everyone will think I'm a tramp or something getting myself into this again. And what about Alice? What's she going to think of her mother now?"

"Well, first thing I think you need to do is calm down. Everything will be ok, I'm sure about that. It'll take time, sure. But you're wonderful with Alice, so I think you'll love being a mother again."

Just listening to Daphne calmed her a bit. "Yes, you're right about being a mother again. I guess I'm more worried about what people will think. Which is pretty stupid in itself, isn't it? I thought if I told you, we could figure out a plan to break the news to everyone. But you're thousands of miles away in Hawaii."

"Damn this trip. It's been a nightmare. I've been going crazy a bit meself. I could come home. I don't think Mum would mind either. She's not too thrilled about being here. I could come home, and we could go to a doctor to find out if you're really pregnant. You know it's always best to get a confirmation from a doctor."

Roz finally let herself to smile. "You're right. That would be so nice of you to come home for me. I know you wouldn't mind seeing Niles too."

Daphne's heart raced at that thought. "You got that right! Don't worry, Roz. Hang in there. We'll get through this. And your secret is safe with me."

"Oh, Daphne. I'm so glad to have a friend like you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I'll be waiting for you to come."

They hung up, and Roz buried herself in her pillows and cried.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

True to her word, Daphne ended her trip early and came back a couple days before Roz's appointment with the doctor. While she got questions from everybody, they were all glad to have her come home. Niles was overjoyed when he picked her & Mrs. Moon up at the airport.

"Couldn't stay away from me, huh?" He whispered into her hair.

Daphne smiled. She would always be grateful having a man like Niles in her life. No matter how things might've turned out differently otherwise. "Oh, Niles. It's so good to see you again! I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, my love. We'll never take a vacation like that apart again, I promise."

"Come on, Mum's probably ready to go home."

Daphne didn't want to reveal the real reason why she came back just yet. She didn't like keeping things from Niles, but Roz didn't want anybody to know until they were certain she was pregnant. She didn't know what she wanted to do more, stay in Niles' arms, or be with Roz. Mr. Crane would probably be glad to see her too. No doubt he let his exercises slip while she was away, even though she was only gone a few days.

Niles helped get their luggage from the airport's carousel. All the time he wondered about the real reason why Daphne came home early. He had to think that it partly wasn't about him. But whatever it was, he knew Daphne would tell him when she was ready.

The drive home to the Montana was more or less a quiet one. Daphne had her mind on Roz and her possible pregnancy. She wondered how Roz would feel about having another child while not married. She knew Roz would be a wonderful mother; she's done a great job raising Alice. It was as if Roz were a natural mother. But with this being Frasier's child, she had to think this time might be different somehow. Roz and Frasier's relationship had always been a strong one, even right from the start. Daphne had always kind of hoped they'd end up together. They were a good match, in her eyes. With a baby on the way though, that might change it all. And what about the radio show? If they revealed the pregnancy on the air, it might destroy them. Daphne thought about all that, and certainly hoped that she was just worrying over nothing…

"You're awfully quiet," Niles whispered over to her.

"Just thinking," Daphne replied.

"Anything wrong?"

"Nothing I want to talk about just yet, but don't worry, I'm fine. I'm with you now, how could that be bad?"

"We'll have to do some celebrating when we get home."

"I can't wait. I love you, Niles."

"I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

The day of Roz's doctor's appointment finally came. And she was a nervous wreck. After all, a lot could happen today. She was grateful again that Daphne came back from Hawaii early. She didn't think she could do this without her. She was patiently waiting for her friend to arrive. Alice was at school, so there wouldn't be a problem with having to scramble around for a babysitter. She checked her look in the mirror twice, and then a third time, when she decided she looked good enough. Absentmindedly, she reached down and touched her belly, where her and Frasier's baby lay. "Hi, little one, I'm already starting to love you. I just hope you aren't _too_ much like your father." She smiled to herself. She couldn't take a mini-Frasier. She was already hoping this baby would be a boy though. While she loved Alice to death, she always wondered what it would be like to have a son. And she figured with Frasier already having Freddy, he wouldn't mind another son. Especially one that wasn't miles away from him, like Freddy was.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the doorbell finally rang. Roz ran to answer it.

"Here you are! I'm a nervous wreck." Roz didn't even take the time to notice that Daphne looked tanned from her time in Hawaii.

Daphne tried to calm Roz down. She knew this was a nervous moment for her friend. She was just glad she could be there for Roz, and Frasier too, when the time came to tell him. "Come on, Roz. Calm down. Take deep breaths."

Roz did as Daphne suggested. "I don't really know what I'm feeling. I mean, I'm excited to be a mother again, but I'm nervous about how Frasier will react. It was just one night that we slept together…"

"I'm sure it'll take a little time to get used to the idea, but Dr. Crane loves you a lot, you know that. I don't see him getting mad or angry or upset. Just maybe surprised."

"You're right, Daphne. But I worry about how this will affect our friendship, the radio show, everything. It might put a damper on Frasier's entire existence."

"Well, only time will tell, Roz. We don't even know if you're pregnant for sure yet. Come on, let's get going, or we're going to be late."

**TBC…I'll try to update faster too! :) Thanks for all the reviews though, they motivate me!**


	4. Chapter 4

Roz and Daphne arrived at the doctor's office with time to spare. They were going to the same hospital where Roz had Alice, so there was a bit of comfort in the familiar setting. They walked into the waiting room where other people sat reading magazines. Roz knew they were like old issues, but it didn't matter. There was no way she could concentrate on anything right now.

"I'll go sign in. You can sit down over there." She pointed to a couple of empty chairs. Daphne walked off to the area Roz directed.

Roz felt confident as she walked up to the check-in window. This part was simple. As she took the sign-in sheet, the secretary asked for some information to put on file. Roz took her seat next to Daphne when she was finished.

"All that's left now is for my name to be called. Thanks for being here with me. I could never do this by myself."

Daphne took hold of her friend's hand and squeezed it. "Everything will be OK." She sincerely believed that everything would work out for Roz, baby or no baby. "Don't forget, you won't be alone, no matter what happens."

Roz smiled. "I know that." There were a couple beats of comfortable silence between them while they waited.

"Waiting is always the hardest part in anything." Daphne said.

"I've never been good at waiting. You'd think after going through this once before, I'd be a pro now, but it's not easy. At least you'll never have to go through something like this." She smiled a small smile.

Daphne knew Roz was referring to her and Niles having children. She couldn't wait for the day when that would happen. Thinking of Niles always made Daphne's heart soar.

The minutes passed by. Soon Roz and Daphne were almost the only people left.

Daphne turned to Roz. "Do you want me to go in with you?" They hadn't discussed whether or not Roz wanted Daphne in with the doctor.

"Yes, if you don't mind. It would be good practice for you anyway." Roz smiled. She was finally starting to get used to the idea of being pregnant again.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the door to the waiting room opened, and a nurse came out and said, "Roz Doyle?"

"Well, here goes nothing." Roz said as she and Daphne rose from their chairs.


	5. Chapter 5

"Congratulations, Ms. Doyle. You're going to be a mom again." The doctor's words spun around and around in Roz's head. It was true, she was pregnant. It was the news she'd been expecting. "You can get changed now, and I'll be right back." The doctor left the room.

"You're pregnant, Roz! Isn't this wonderful?" Daphne grinned at her friend.

Roz let herself smile for the first time since she thought she might be pregnant. She realized then that she had been holding her breath. Now she finally let herself relax. "It _is_ wonderful. I'm just now realizing that I'm carrying a new life inside of me at this very minute."

Roz changed back into her clothes as they sat and waited for the doctor to return with his final report. "Daphne, this isn't exactly the place to ask, but how would you like to be this baby's godmother? I can't think of anyone better than you."

Daphne hugged her friend. "Oh Roz, I'd be delighted!" Daphne could hardly sit still at the thought of being a godmother.

"Now all that's left is to tell Frasier."

"Do you want me to be with you when you do that?" Daphne asked.

"No, thanks. This is something I have to do by myself." Roz couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the prospect of telling Frasier she was carrying his child.

Roz walked out of the elevator and stopped at apartment 1901. She'd come here so many times over the years. But this was no ordinary visit. This would be a life-changing moment for both of them.

Without realizing it, she rubbed her hand on her belly, where her child lay. She hoped against hope that this child would know both of his or her parents. She took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.


	6. Chapter 6

After a few beats of silence, Roz heard scurrying on the other side of the door, and then Frasier's voice saying, "Coming!" And then finally, he opened the door.

"Roz! What an unexpected pleasure! What brings you here? Do come in…"

Roz looked around the apartment, which was strangely empty. She knew Daphne wouldn't be there, of course. But Martin could almost always be found sitting in his favorite chair with a beer in his hand, and Eddie on his lap. But he was nowhere in sight, and for that, she was grateful. "Where's Martin?"

"Oh, Dad was feeling a little worn out from his exercises, so he's taking a hot bath right now, and going to bed early. I swear, he complains about every little thing being too difficult for him. It's not like Daphne does anything too strenuous. Do you want something to drink?"

Roz knew scaffiene and alcohol were both out of the question for her now. "Maybe just some water. I'll get it myself."

She began to rise from the sofa, but Frasier stopped her. "Nonsense, I'll get it for you."

Within seconds, he was back with some water and a plate full of crackers and cheese. She smiled at his thoughtfulness. She hoped their child would inherit that trait. "Thanks, but I'm not going to be here for long." She opened the water bottle and took a sip.

"What's on your mind, Roz? You know I'm listening!" Frasier chuckled at the use of his tagline for their show. That just made matters worse for Roz, since she didn't know how what she was about to say would affect their careers.

This was it. She just needed to say it and get it over with. She took a little breath. "Ok, so you know how I said I went to the doctor because of Alice?"

Realization shown on Frasier's face. "Yes, of course. I meant to ask, how is she?"

"Well, she's perfectly fine…But, Frasier, she didn't go to the doctor. _I_ did."

"You did? Roz, you should've told me the appointment was for you! Is everything OK?"

"Yes and no. I found out that I'm pregnant again."

"Roz, no way! That's wonderful!" He started to give her a hug, but she stopped him. "What's wrong, Roz? What is it?" And slowly, it dawned on him…could he possibly be the father? They did sleep together that night, after all. In a whisper, barely loud enough to be heard, he said, "Is it me?"

Roz nodded. Then the tears came. "Oh Frasier, what were we thinking, doing something like that?"

Frasier shook his head, like he couldn't believe it. Maybe if he just shook hard enough, all of this would be just a dream. But it wasn't a dream, it was reality. While he loved Roz, he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of having a child with her. Roz was already a great mother, of course. But his reputation would be at stake. And his career would go right down the drain if word got out that he had a child with Roz. After a while, they just sat there, stunned. Then, Frasier said, "We were just together one night. One night, Roz!"

Roz smiled sadly. "That's all it takes."

"Well, what do we do now?"

"I don't really know. I _do_ know that I'm keeping this baby, the same as I did with Alice. I don't believe in just giving a life away. Everybody needs a chance at living."

"So true…I guess we should just keep this quiet at the station for now, until you start to show. If it got out in the press, that would be a scary situation."

"But I'll have to be going to the doctor pretty regularly, and people would realize I wasn't there all the time. Especially Noel, you know he watches me like a hawk. He would definitely notice that something was up."

"Well, you could just keep using the Alice excuse, couldn't you? I fell for it."

Roz smiled. "I guess I'll have to. I don't want anyone there knowing now."

Frasier remembered something. "Daphne knows, doesn't she? That's why she came back from her trip early."

Roz nodded. "Yes. She's been my shoulder to lean on during this. I guess she's already told Niles, so you can tell Martin. But that's it for right now, OK?"

"Ok. I'll go along with that. What about Alice?"

"I'll tell her when the time is right. You know, I'm almost happy to be pregnant again."

Frasier smiled. "You're a great mother. Alice is a remarkable young lady. She's lucky to have you for a mother."

"I already know you're a great father too. And at least this child will be right here in Seattle, and not miles away."

"That would be nice. Oh Roz, it's really happening, isn't it? We're going to be parents!" He reached over and hugged her, and this time, Roz didn't stop him.

"Our child will be the smartest in school, that's for sure."

"And I'll teach him or her all about the fine arts!"

Roz cringed. She hoped their child wouldn't be interested in those things. She didn't know what would happen between now and when she gave birth to Frasier's child. But she did know at least one thing: Frasier would stick by her, no matter what. That's what friends do.

**TBC…Even though that sounds like an ending, there's more to come! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

The next day at work proved to be a challenging one. Frasier and Roz were both a little more than out of it. And they tried too hard to keep the secret from everybody. But halfway through the show, they got a call that hit a little close to home.

"Roz, who's our next caller?" Frasier kept looking at the clock, counting the hours till quitting time.

"On line 1, we have Marcia from Tacoma who's having some problem with her family."

Frasier was already intrigued by this call. He hit the talk button, and said, "Go ahead, Marcia, I'm listening."

"Well, Dr. Crane, I just found out I'm pregnant, and I'm nervous about telling my parents. I'm not married, and I'm afraid that they would disown me! They're very religious, and keep telling me to wait until marriage to have sex, and that sort of thing. But you know how you make a mistake every once in a while…"

Frasier looked questioningly at Roz, who merely just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, Marcia, first of all, if your parents don't know, then why give out your name?"

"They don't listen to the show, and just as for a precaution, I'm not using my real name."

Frasier rolled his eyes. Yet somebody else who doesn't listen…But that wasn't the matter at hand. If he talked openly with this Marcia person, then people would begin to realize there might be something more there. He decided to go in Roz's booth to ask her. "I'm sorry, Marcia, but we have to take a quick break." He hit the cough button, and walked into Roz's booth.

"Frasier, what are you doing?! Get back out there!" Roz screamed at him.

"I just wondered what you want to do about this caller. Her situation is eerily similar to ours, and if I talked with her, people might begin to notice something was up."

"Yeah, like they don't know something is up now, with taking a break in the middle of a call!"

Just then, Kenny burst in the room with a questioning look on his face. "Hey doc, what's going on here?"

Roz whispered, "Just go on with the show!"

Frasier went back out to his booth and put his headset back on. "Nothing Kenny. Just a little misunderstanding. Everything's fine."

Frasier and Roz managed to finish the show without giving in to their secret of Roz's pregnancy. He only hoped it would stay a secret until it was necessary to tell everyone.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

A few months later, Roz was beginning to show, but still they had managed to keep it from everybody at the station. Whenever people asked, Roz simply said that she needed to lose some weight. But now, it was getting closer and closer to her due date, and they still hadn't told any of their coworkers. Roz was nervous, because she had to go ask Kenny about maternity leave. She didn't know how to do it, other than to simply say that she needed time off. Frasier said he'd go with her, of course, but she wanted to do it herself. So, one day after work, she gathered herself together and went to Kenny's office.

She was greeted immediately with a "Come in," and she and walked into the room.

Kenny seemed surprised to see her. "Well, Roz, what are you doing here?"

"I need to ask a favor, but you have to _promise_ not to say anything about it to anyone."

"Sounds like a pretty big favor. I'm not sure if I can agree to that. But go ahead."

"OK, well, I need some time off. But it's more than just a week or so. I need about a month." Roz winced as she waited for his reaction.

Kenny gasped. "A _month_? Are you kidding? Why do you need that much time off?"

Roz looked down for a minute at her changing belly. She was feeling the baby move more every day, and she always wanted to tell Frasier when she felt something. But this wasn't the time to go into that with Kenny. She wanted to do that together with Frasier.

"I'm having surgery, and I'll need about a month to recover. It's long, I know. But I'm sure you can get somebody to fill in for me. I can help with screening the candidates if you want." Roz was excited about having a baby, but she would miss doing her job for a month.

Kenny sighed. It was obvious he wasn't on board with this. "Oh, OK, OK. Do what you need to do. I'll try to dig up somebody. I'm sure there'll be _someone_ who would want to do the job. That's not to say we won't miss you, Roz. That booth won't be the same without you for a month." He got up and hugged her

"Thanks, Kenny. That's a load off my mind." She smiled at him before she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.


	9. Chapter 9

Roz was expected to deliver in several weeks, and everybody was nervous. So far, their secret was safe from the press and anyone not in their family. They would tell everybody at KACL about the new addition after Roz returned to work. Roz was beginning to get tired of feeling huge and not being able to do the things that she used to. She had a feeling that she was carrying a boy from the way it moved around in her body. Alice never moved quite like this. It was almost like a football player was inside her. She hadn't really thought of names yet, but if it was a boy, she'd always liked the name Brandon. Or Peter. Or Max. She changed her mind every minute. Frasier offered his suggestions too, but his were always some fancy name like Preston. She definitely wasn't going to take _that_ suggestion. She was looking forward to tonight, because she and Daphne were spending some much-needed "girl time" at Daphne's. She hoped that the baby would hold off until after she got home. But it wouldn't be the first time she went into labor in Niles' apartment. Thinking about the night she delivered Alice made her smile. She hoped that this baby would be as close to Alice as Niles and Frasier were.

TBC…


End file.
